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Best books of 2017 part one

You’d have to be living under a large and leafy rock not to know that John Green (of Fault in our Stars and Vlogbrothers fame) has released a new book this October. Turtles all the Way Down is the newest volume about an unusual girl trying to find her way in a strange world. The novel follows 16 year old Aza who has embarked on a quest to solve the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett – who could say no to a $100,000 reward? Well, Aza possibly could, but her best fearless friend Daisy wants to investigate, and Aza can’t think of many more reasons to say no. Throughout this adventure, Aza struggles with mental illness, and with her friends expectations of her. Turtles All the Way Down heroes female friendship and is the off-kilter narrative we have come to expect from John Green. If you were a Nancy Drew girl and loved the Secret Seven then this strange little mystery will brighten your day.

La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman

Philip Pullman is one of my top three authors and His Dark Materials has been one of my all-time favourite books since I was twelve. I waited years and years and eventually gave up on ever hearing anything about The Book of Dust (the sequel to the series). That was until February of this year, when Pullman announced that the first ‘equal’ to the acclaimed fantasy series would be released in October. I’ve been hyperventilating ever since. La Belle Sauvage follows eleven year old Malcolm Polstead and is set in the same universe as Lyra Belaqua’s. In fact, baby Lyra is just a few miles away from Malcolm, and he decides that he wants to meet this very special girl. La Belle Sauvage is the first in a trilogy of books planned to accompany His Dark Materials. The first is set ten years before and the second and third will be set ten years after. Fans (including myself) are hopeful that Lyra and Will will get to somehow meet once more in the sequels but knowing Pullman, we’re sure to get a surprise.

All the Crooked Saints

Maggie Stiefvater is a powerhouse of YA fantasy. Her Raven Boys series is a gorgeous mix of magic, mysteries, fortunes and teenagers. This new series, All the Crooked Saints features the talents of the Soria family who are no strangers to miracles. In every generation of the Soria family each member have the power to perform unusual miracles. At its heart are three cousins, Beatriz, Daniel and Joaquin, all of whom are looking for miracles of their own. But ‘be careful what you wish for’ is a cliché for a reason. There has been some controversy surrounding Stiefvater’s new book, questions about the way that it portrays Mexican and Latinx culture. However Stiefvater published a frank and honest essay concerning her feelings about the book and responding to the criticism. I’m going to give Stiefvater the benefit of the doubt and look forward to seeing for myself how she develops this new world.

Runaways by Rainbow Rowell and Kris Anka

Our favourite YA romance author, Rainbow Rowell has turned her very talented hand to re-launching Marvel’s teen superhero title, Runaways. According to Rowell, Runaways is her favourite comic and she was blown away that she got to revive the series. Her six-comic arc began in September and continues this month. It follows a team of five teenagers who are the children of supervillains and decided to – you guessed it – run away. They also acquire a friendly dinosaur sidekick, as you do. The series ended over ten years ago and Rowell has brought it back – with a few changes and a new beginning for the characters. Quite frankly, we would read Rowell’s to-do lists, so we can’t wait for this.

Author: Méabh McDonnell

As editor of Cinders magazine books, television, comic books and the lack of representation for women in movies that I otherwise enjoy are most of what I talk about. Aside from reading I write, mostly about driving from Galway to Ennis. You can find more of my musings over on Twitter @redridinghood19. Check out Cinders magazine at www.cindersmagazine.com
View all posts by Méabh McDonnell